House approves State Rep. Margaret O'Brien motion to support keeping Kalamazoo County Farm Service Agency open

LANSING, MI — State Rep. Margaret O'Brien wants the Kalamazoo County Farm Service Agency to stay open and today the Portage Republican got the support of her colleagues in the Michigan House.

The Michigan House of Representatives supported O'Brien's resolution that calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep the office open.

"I question the wisdom of removing agricultural services in an area of agricultural growth," O'Brien said in a press release. "Kalamazoo County farmers are an important part of Michigan's agricultural economy, and in the top 2 percent across the country for nursery, greenhouses and floriculture. The number of farms here has even increased in recent years. And yet, this is the only FSA recommended for closure in our state."

The closure was one of 259 across the country announced last month as part of Secretary Tom Vilsack's "Blueprint for Stronger Service," which intendeds to trim about $150 million out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual costs.